Jade is not useful without carving, let's appreciate the jade carving craftsmanship

As the saying goes: Jade cannot be made into a useful object without being carved. It is conceivable that the carving of jade is an important factor in measuring the value of jade. Many times, the type, water content, and color are the unchangeable factors of jadeite, but good carving can turn ordinary quality jadeite into something magical and add the icing on the cake for high-quality jadeite.

First of all, I would like to introduce the three types of jade carving to you.

1. Round Sculpture

Round carving is also called three-dimensional carving. When a jade piece is carved using this carving technique, the viewer can appreciate all sides of the jade piece from different angles.

2. Relief

Relief is a technique that uses the ups and downs of convex and concave surfaces on a flat jade surface to express the three-dimensionality and sense of space of the pattern. It is roughly divided into shallow relief, medium relief and high relief. The difference between these three types is easy to understand. It depends on the size of the undulations on the pattern's concave and convex surface. If the undulations are small, it becomes shallow relief, and the other two types are similar.

3. Openwork

Openwork carving is also called hollowing out. According to the design of the pattern, the parts that do not express the objects are hollowed out, leaving the parts that can express the objects. If the openwork part is wrong, it cannot be repaired, so everything from stone selection, work layout, tool equipment to carving procedures must be paid attention to to prevent breakage during the carving process.

Of course, jade carving is also divided into schools, mainly the following four schools

1. Jieyang Engineering

Jieyang craftsmen enjoy the reputation of "Jade from all over the world, made by Jieyang craftsmen" in the industry, and the characteristic of Jieyang craftsmen can be summed up in one word: "exquisite". So what is the essence of their excellence?

① Expertise in “strictness”

The Jieyang craftsmanship is very demanding. For example, when making a Buddha statue, no matter how good the water head of the material is, you have to dig on the back to adjust the water. The rigor and high degree of uniformity of Jieyang craftsmanship in details make the jadeite processed in Jieyang recognizable at a glance.

② Be good at "details"

“I never tire of fine food and I never tire of delicate minced meat” is not only suitable for describing cooking, but also for the workers in Jieyang. No matter how small the item is, Jieyang people will never tire of carving it with teeth, hairs and water drops.

③Be good at “being precise”

Jieyang workers will never sacrifice the parts for the sake of the whole. If there are defects when making large items, then make smaller items instead; if there are also defects when making small items, then make egg-shaped items instead. In short, Jieyang workers' near zero tolerance for defects has created a golden signboard for Jieyang workers.

Of course, nothing is perfect, and Jieyang workers also have their shortcomings. The shortcomings of Jieyang workers are also consistent with its characteristics.

The processing specifications are like a standard operating procedure. Although they keep the overall processing industry in Jieyang at a very high level, they also restrict the hands and feet of jade carvers. Being too conservative and lacking innovation, Jieyang craftsmanship lacks the unrestrainedness of Ruili craftsmanship, and it has less spirit and more craftsmanship.

2. Suyang Engineering

The characteristics of Su craftsmanship are profound cultural heritage and a strong sense of classical charm. He is also a master of antique imitation and has experience in copying ancient sculptures. Suyang jade carving has a long history, and has been outstanding in modern times from small pieces to mountains.

Su craftsmen generally use a method where one side is relief and the other side is yin-yang carving. The relief works of Suzhou craft have smooth lines, steady knife skills, and free-hand outlines of line depth, which can give the relief image a strong three-dimensional sense. The works pursue ingenuity and integrate Chinese and Western art.

Su craftsmen are all experts in imitating antiques. From Su craftsmen's works, one can appreciate the rich traditional cultural connotations and the authors' own feelings. As the saying goes, "Objects carry the truth and jade cultivates virtue", Su Gong really did it.

Disadvantages:

① Choose the material, not all materials can produce stable effects;
② Lack of experience in processing jade defects. Especially when the material itself has certain defects that need to be compensated, Sugong may not be the best choice.

Three and four meetings

Sihui craftsmen have absorbed the stone carving techniques of the Fujian region and have taken the route of "small, fast and flexible". Sihuigong is full of fast food culture.

①The so-called "small" refers to the processing cost

Sihui workers take the civilian route, giving priority to cost. Sihui craftsmen pursue the spirit of the work, but they try to save on many details. For example, taking the two fish as an example, in terms of details, the one from Sihui obviously has much fewer scales than the one from Jieyang.

②The so-called "fast" refers to fast processing speed

Sihui carving masters win by quantity, on the one hand to make money, on the other hand to help customers save processing costs, in addition, it also greatly shortens the cycle from raw materials to finished products of jade, facilitating faster circulation of funds.

③The so-called "flexibility" refers to the flexibility of processing and the agility of the finished product

Sihui workers are the least picky about materials. No matter what kind of material it is, it can come alive after being manipulated by Sihui masters.

Disadvantages:

In pursuit of speed, Sihui workers fail to handle details properly, giving people a feeling of crude carving, and are not suitable for carving good materials.

4. Ruili Engineering (Yunnan Engineering)

Ruili craftsmanship has rich themes and unique styles, while Yunnan craftsmanship has made great breakthroughs in carving form and content compared with traditional craftsmanship.

The characteristics of Yunnan Engineering mainly include the following aspects:

①Rich themes and unique style

The Yunnan craftsmen are not limited to Guanyin Buddha in terms of figures, nor are they limited to flowers, birds, insects, herbs and auspicious animals in terms of decorative pieces, which greatly enriches the volume of jadeite.

②Processing atmosphere

Thanks to the relatively low price and sufficient supply of raw materials, large-scale workmanship in Yunnan is generally very stylish.

③ Natural

This is the most important and distinctive part of Yunnan University. Yunnan craftsmen's pursuit of art is to retain as much of the original natural charm of the material as possible during the processing, and to incorporate the craftsmanship into the shape of the material itself. Instead of using labor to press the materials, find the best way to process them.

Disadvantages:

In the process of pursuing the unity of work and material, sometimes some minor defects and flaws in the material are ignored intentionally or unintentionally, and a little part is sacrificed for the whole.

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